Lawyer might sue over Krakouer comments

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A former Liberal minister in Western Australia, Kevin
Prince, said yesterday he might sue Channel Nine, Eddie McGuire and Jimmy
Krakouer for defamation in the wake of Krakouer's appearance on The Footy
Show on Thursday.

The former football star claimed on the show that he
was instructed by Mr Prince, who was his defence lawyer at the time, to
plead guilty to unfounded rape charges in 1974.

Mr Prince, who
returned to practice as a criminal defence lawyer after quitting state
politics, said yesterday he had instructed lawyers to act on the matter.
It is believed Channel Nine received a letter from Mr Prince's lawyers
yesterday.

"What further may happen depends on what Channel Nine may
or may not say or do," Mr Prince said.

The case centres on Krakouer's
conviction for rape as a 16-year-old and his subsequent two-year
imprisonment.

He told McGuire during Thursday's much-publicised
interview that he was advised by his lawyer to plead guilty. Krakouer
asked McGuire if he could name the lawyer, to which McGuire replied, "yes,
name him". "Kevin Prince was his name," Krakouer said. He later said he
had not understood how serious the charges were and that the conviction
would haunt him for the rest of his life.

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Mr Prince said he had not
seen the broadcast or heard it, but Krakouer's comments had been reported
to him. He would not comment further.

"I'm not prepared to discuss
what happened a quarter of a century ago when I have instructed solicitors
to take action on the matter," he said.

Channel Nine did not respond
to questions.

Mr Prince's more recent clients include 19-year-old
Scott Colbung, who, with 19-year-old Jeremy Krakouer, was convicted in
June for murdering a man in Mount Barker last year. Colbung and Jeremy
Krakouer will be sentenced in Albany on Wednesday.